Orange, Inc. is a well-known designer and manufacturer of cell phones, computers, tablets and their associated software

Question:

Orange, Inc. is a well-known designer and manufacturer of cell phones, computers, tablets and their associated software and operating systems. Suppose that Orange, Inc. is financed with 100% equity and has a market value of $423 billion. Suppose also that Orange has a WACC of 7%. Investment bankers have approached Orange's CFO and proposed that "Orange take advantage of historically low debt rates" by issuing bonds with a market value of $100 billion and using the proceeds to re-purchase $100 billion in equity from shareholders. Suppose that due to Orange's large free cash flows the bonds would be almost risk free and have a beta of 0.1. Assume that the market risk premium is 5% and the risk free rate is 2%. The investment bankers have used the WACC formula to argue that including debt in Orange's capital structure will "lower its overall cost of capital" from 7% to 5.9% because Orange can issue (almost) risk free debt.

This debt, they argue, is much cheaper than equity. That is, their calculation of the 'new' WACC is: 

[The bankers correctly note that while Orange is extremely profitable, its effective tax rate in the U.S. (the relevant jurisdiction) is zero dueto a variety of initiatives that the company has taken to shield its income from taxation and therefore does not impact the WACC]. Are the bankers correct that Orange can lower its cost of capital by replacing $100B in equity with $100B in bonds? Please use the WACC formula as the basis of your answer.

Capital Structure
Capital structure refers to a company’s outstanding debt and equity. The capital structure is the particular combination of debt and equity used by a finance its overall operations and growth. Capital structure maximizes the market value of a...
Cost Of Capital
Cost of capital refers to the opportunity cost of making a specific investment . Cost of capital (COC) is the rate of return that a firm must earn on its project investments to maintain its market value and attract funds. COC is the required rate of...
Fantastic news! We've Found the answer you've been seeking!

Step by Step Answer:

Question Posted: